Some on the James Bay still believe DeBeers will go ahead with mothballed Tango project

Kim Truter called it a “bittersweet” birthday party for Victor Mine.​The DeBeers Canada CEO gushed with pride at some moments during the 10th anniversary celebrations for Ontario’s first diamond mine on Wednesday, which come as the mine is set to shut down early next year.

And something else seems to have left a bad taste in his mouth as well. Truter says he is proud of the work DeBeers has done with the Mushkegowuk people of the James Bay Coast, with millions of dollars flowing to nearby communities through impact benefit agreements.

But it’s not hard to find someone on the coast who feels those deals were not fair. “Perhaps some of the communities felt that everyone would benefit directly and perhaps they haven’t seen that,” says Truter.

He points to the hydro line DeBeers put in that now powers the remote coastal communities, as well as the hundreds of jobs the mine has brought to the region, both with his company and with local contractors.

Truter says though it might be time for the Canadian mining industry to move to “the next evolution” in its relationship with Indigenous peoples.